


Why shouldn't the Little Prince Live?

by likethetelescope



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Gen, Marauders era, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 02:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5439947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likethetelescope/pseuds/likethetelescope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the start of an AU where Regulus is apparated out of the cave instead of drowning in the lake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why shouldn't the Little Prince Live?

**Author's Note:**

> I do not claim credit for the harry potter universe or the characters mentioned.

AU where Regulus isn’t drowned by the Inferi, and Kreacher apparated him out of the cave after drinking the potion and trading the lockets.

Regulus Black didn’t know where he was.   
He’d been blindfolded and apparated to who knew where, though the dampness and smell of dust and dirt seemed to indicate someone’s basement. How fitting. The Order was hiding in the shadows while the Death Eaters could prance around in broad daylight, so long as they wore their hoods. And if the Dark Lord had his way, they wouldn’t have to wear hoods much longer. He’d written to Sirius, wanting to meet –he’d told him it was life or death important, but he hadn’t gotten an answer, and time was growing short. So he’d made a very rash decision and decided to follow a Prewett home one night. That little duel was nasty, and Reg’s sleeve had been cut and revealed his dark mark –he hadn’t bothered with a charm to hide it magically- and the older boy had nearly killed him right then and there. Reg had surrendered, tossing his wand to the ground (Prewett quickly had snatched it up to keep it away from him) and holding his hands up. “that’s the first intelligent thing you’ve done since you were sixteen,” Fabian- or maybe Gideon- had said. Apparently Sirius had mentioned his little brother to them at least once. 

 

They tried to make Regulus talk, but he simply insisted that he would only talk to his brother. Regulus didn’t trust any of them, least of all Dumbledore or that batshit auror Moody. Luckily those two had been busy and weren’t around, the people who were holding him currently must’ve been a bit less keen on unforgivables despite the Ministry making it legal for aurors to use them against Death Eaters. Or maybe they thought this was some elaborate plan to kill Dumbledore, Reg didn’t know. Small mercies, he supposed. And then there was Lupin, he’d been the first of the marauders to arrive. His face was a lot less kind than it had been in school and he was more scarred than ever, but he’d at least kept the others from seriously hurting Regulus until Sirius would arrive, and Reg was sure he was just saving that for his brother to do. He wasn’t naïve enough anymore to think that Lupin held any old feelings of pity for him.

What seemed liked days but what must have only been hours later, He heard a door open and footsteps glide down the creaky wooden stairs. Sirius Orion Black was staring at him coldly, crossing his arms over his chest in that lazy fashion that only Sirius could do. “What did my uncle give to me for my birthday before third year?” he asked in a careless monotone, though his eyes were intensely fixed on the younger boy. Oh, they think I’m not actually me. At least they know its out of character for me to act to stupidly. “A set of two way mirrors. One of which you gave to Potter,” he returned in a similarly cool voice. Regulus had been a little bitter about that, back then –Reg was only 12- he had thought Sirius might’ve given it to him. But of course he didn’t, he gave it to that arrogant little bastard that he hero-worshipped. “What do you want, Black?” his brother hissed, apparently accepting that Regulus was who he’d said he was. “Can’t I just drop by for a chat with my big brother?” Regulus asked with a smirk, his eyes darting upwards as he heard people walking about above them. He was scared, even if he wouldn’t admit it, and Sirius was probably the only person in the world that could see that through the mask of haughty indifference he always wore. He just didn’t wear it quite as naturally as his older brother. “We’re not family.” Still looking bored as he leaned against the wall opposite Regulus. “Do you have something to say or shall I go on and get Moody?” he asked, though Regulus knew that that was a threat and now he could feel his own heartbeat starting to pound in his chest. “I.. I won’t tell you here. Not with them” he glanced at the ceiling again “around.” There was a prophecy, and Regulus didn’t know the full details but he knew there would be someone capable of defeating Voldemort coming soon. But they didn’t know what they were up against, that it wasn’t just one. “Then this conversation is over,” Sirius was shrugging, walking back to the stairs and Regulus felt himself panicking, responding exactly as Sirius wanted him to. He hated that, but he couldn’t be left alone with anyone else, they’d kill him. “Sirius, you don’t understand,” he was calling out, trying desperately to keep his fear from showing in his own voice, “you can’t kill him!” “We can and we will,” he was on the stairs, starting to ascend. “He’ll come back! He.. Sirius, I’m trying to help you for fuck’s sake. It’ll all be for nothing if you don’t know..”

That seemed to get his attention, and he turned back but stayed where he was on the stairs. “Just. Take me somewhere I can talk to you. Alone. I don’t trust them and you shouldn’t either.” He got an eye roll in response, “bring Lupin, if you must, but I don’t think werewolves are the proper company to keep nowadays..” Finally Sirius was walking back towards him, clearly surprised that Regulus knew about Remus’s condition. “How’d you know that about Remus?” he growled, and Reg knew it was because he thought that his brother was now a threat to his friend. “Same way I know something about the Dark Lord. I pay attention.” Icy stare. Sirius turned and quickly ascended the stairs, but Regulus was hoping he’d gotten through to him somehow, he just needed a chance.

There was silence above him, and Regulus figured they must’ve cast a charm to keep him from hearing their discussion. At least they weren’t as stupid as Regulus thought them to be. Still the lack of background noise made the wait even more tedious, and now Regulus was itching with the need to move. In a perfect world, Sirius would’ve just replied to his letter, met up with him, and he could’ve explained everything. Though in a perfect world, none of this would be happening. Eventually the door creaked open again, and to his disappointment- but not to his surprise- he saw Remus come into view once again. “How long have you known?” the question came quietly but held an odd intensity to it, and Regulus looked up at the older boy, dropping his own brave act for a moment. “Uh.. since like 5th year? Mine, not yours..” They were both silent. “If I’d told anyone you would’ve been thrown out of school. It’s… not my business. And-“ he continued, deciding not to waste time waiting for the question to come on it’s own, “- you haven’t really come up in conversation since then. I didn’t bring it up to anybody.” He didn’t know if Remus believed him or not, but he didn’t care. He needed to tell Sirius what Voldemort was doing, or rather, what he’d already done. He needed to kill every little part of him spread across Great Britain so that when he fell, which the prophecy said could happen, he’d really be gone. He’d be mortal. An awkward silence fell between them as Regulus avoided the older boy’s gaze but could feel it burning into him. “Look, we both know that the possibility that I know something useful is the only thing keeping me alive right now,” Regulus stated flatly, forcing himself back into his shell, the only protection he’d ever had, “so either let me loose or get it over with. They-“ he gestured with his head upwards, “will torture me, but I’ve already agreed to talk. Just to Sirius…. And you, I suppose. But. Not. Here. So all that mess is really unnecessary..” The last part of his sentence was uncertain, and Remus could tell he was genuinely terrified of that thought. And yet he had come here of his own accord, risking the fate he knew was quite likely.

“Alright,” Remus sighed, and Regulus was thankful that Remus didn’t seem the type to enjoy hurting others. Regulus’s housemates, his fellow death eaters, they weren’t like that. They’d torture people for fun even after they’d gotten what they wanted. “Padfoot, come on, let’s get this over with,” Remus called up the stairs and before he knew it Reg was no longer bound but he was blindfolded once again. Sirius had returned to the basement with apparent reluctance, and the three of them apparated away.

With a thud they landed in a field Regulus had to guess was near Remus’s childhood home, as there were no such places near Grimmauld place. Though of course somewhere out in the open, away from any death eaters or order members was the only logical place for this conversation, the only place the three of them could be semi comfortable with this arrangement. Regulus didn’t want Remus there, but out of all of Sirius’s friends he was the one Reg held the least resentment towards. The young Death Eater had to hope that the favor of keeping Remus’s secret was enough to warrant the same in return. Having landed ass first on the ground, Regulus moved to tear the blindfold off and found both his brother and Remus’s wands trained on him. He fixed his hair and stayed put, making himself comfortable on the grass. “What’s this super secret information you have to share, then?” Sirius asked him with disdain, “what does an 18 year old know about how to defeat Voldemort?” “Look, I haven’t got a wand, you may as well sit down and get comfortable. And stop pointing those at me, you’re likely to put someone’s eye out,” Reg chastised automatically, the sarcasm flowing from his mouth as easily as the air he breathed. They didn’t listen. “Alright fine,” he began after a tense moment, breathing in deep to steady his nerves and his stomach.

Clutching his knees to his chest in a way he hadn’t done since childhood, trying to hold all of his anxiety inside by physically curling up as small as possible. “There’s.. a prophecy. One mentioning someone who can defeat him.. I don’t know more than that, unfortunately..” he got a blank stare in response, they must already have that information. “But there’s not just one Voldemort to kill.. there’s at least two, probably more.” “Speaking in riddles isn’t going to help you, Regulus,” Remus told him with his brows raised, unsure of whether this was still some weird plot to kill them or if he was just wasting their time, wanting to see his brother. “What do you know about horcruxes?” And with that Regulus delved into the story, not looking at either one of the boys or their wands as he recounted he had learned about horcruxes- how they were made, what they were. By the time he’d finished, both the other boys were sitting opposite him, looks of alarm plain on their faces. Voldemort was invincible in life and apparently after, and they were realizing what that meant. Even if they could kill him, he wouldn’t really be dead. There was silence for a few minutes when Regulus stopped speaking and they processed the information Regulus had just dumped on them. But he hadn’t told them the best- and worst- part yet. “How..” Sirius began slowly, still skeptical, “how do we know you’re telling us the truth? How do we know you’re not just trying to lure us all to our deaths searching for evil bits of Voldemort’s soul?”

“Because… I’ve got one.”


End file.
